Aftermath
by Zelha
Summary: Written as a prize for Cynchick, for winning the runner-up place in the KakaSaku Classy Fanart Contest. Even in the midst of a battle, she would have to believe in his return.


**Disclaimer:** Naw, it ain't mine.

Yep, Manolito is back.

Written as a prize for the lovely Cynchick, for winning the runner-up place in the KakaSaku Classy Fanart Contest. This is not my first time writing my OTP, but with so many good KakaSaku authors out there...well, I can't help but feeling a little nervous, haha. Nevertheless, I hope she likes it, and I hope you like it.

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**Aftermath**

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"Are you going to finish that?" Naruto asked with longing in his voice. The pink-haired medic-nin sighed and shook her head, giving her unfinished sandwich to her surrogate brother.

It had been a simple mission, really. Go inside a Daimyo's compound, steal the scroll that incriminated him as an embezzler of Bird Country's funds, and get out. Simple as making ramen, Naruto had said. But something in Sakura's gut wanted to be acknowledged, because she happened to know that a mission without Kakashi nowadays was...very difficult to focus on.

They had had an argument before he disappeared, three nights ago. He seemed to be absent, even if she was doing her best to distract him from his thoughts. Thinking him bored with their relationship (one can think so after half a year of sneaking around with their own sensei), she had followed the insecurities in her heart and let het temper blow up.

In the end, he only nodded and walked out, not wanting to give any answers to Sakura's accusations.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright? You seem... distracted."

She blinked, coming back from her reverie. Next to her, Naruto's and Sai's were staring questioningly at her.

"I'm fine. Let's finish with lunch and get Yamato-taichou – it's time to move out."

What she didn't know was that both her teammates knew her well... and Naruto was known for never backing down from a goal. This time, he wanted to know what made his sister so sad.

And he had a pretty good idea of who he had to question for his answers.

Two days later, the river found its way across their path. They had crossed the border between Bird and Ame silently, going through the hidden paths and, for once, thanking the endlessly falling rain for providing them some cover from their pursuers, if there were any.

"Hag, is there something the matter? You have been too quiet for your particularly chipper character."

Hell, if Sai noticed, then she was as good as caught in her brooding. She merely sent him a smile that topped all his fakes' ones and shrugged.

But as she lay on her bedroll, listening to the rain falling on Yamato's makeshift house, her eyes started to sting. Really, she had been so stupid to think she could love Kakashi enough for him to be with her...

"That's one of Konoha's hawk messengers," Yamato had said as he sent a branch to get the bird's attention. "I wasn't aware of any jounin missions in this area."

But as they read the encoded message, they realized that it wasn't a jounin mission, and they weren't going back home without lending a helping hand to their nakama.

The battlefield was devastated. Marks of blood and slashes told the story of a raging battle – a battle they were inwardly grateful not to have witnessed. But Sakura's eyes were beyond the blood splatters, beyond the charred tree trunks, beyond the dead silence of the Kusa field.

"Isn't that Pakkun's blue shirt-thingy?" Naruto asked, pointing at a scrap of fabric that lay on the ground next to a kunai, and she took off like an arrow, berating herself as she ran forward.

_Of course_ he had been absent from her ministrations and silent during her argument. He had been preparing mentally for this mission—an ANBU classified mission.

She found him next to his dogs, eyes closed and so still, so still that her heart almost stopped.

"Kakashi!" she gasped, running to him as fast as she could. He was pale, battered, and bloodied. His dogs whimpered when she came into their view, almost like they were asking her to save him, to save their master.

To save her love.

"Kakashi!" she called, gathering her chakra in her hands and surveying his wounds. So many, so deep, so bloody, that she was amazed that he could still breathe. Shallowly so, but he was breathing.

And her mind started to waver in fright.

"We got ambushed by the some ninja the Daimyo hired. From Iwa," said the little trusty pug from his lying spot. "They recognized Kakashi because of his hair."

Sakura cursed softly, while she poured her chakra inside her lover, realizing with a chill that went down her spine that, if she didn't save him, she might as well die with him.

For life without him simply made no sense at all.

"Come on, Kakashi, please," she whispered frantically, injecting chakra and starting to mend his internal injuries. "Please don't—don't you dare to die on me! Stay with me, Kakashi!"

At her side, Yamato, Sai, and Naruto tended to the ninken, as the blond's bunshin were doing recon and investigating the site of the battle.

It was mind-boggling, how much blood he was losing, but she steeled herself and began restoring the organs that had been faltering. She kept going for long, long minutes filled with stress and despair.

_He was slipping through her __hands._

_He was going away._

_He was leaving her – this time for_ good.

Hell if she was going to allow it, her inner persona snarled to her fiercely. Her hands passed over his battered body, scanning, recognizing, and treating his wounds in a concentrated effort not to break down and scream his name in anguish.

"Sakura, your chakra is depleting fast," Yamato's voice floated down to her. She shook her head, scowling but not daring to say anything. Only when a soldier pill was pressed to her lips by Sai, she understood. They loved him too, and for that they were supporting her in this ordeal.

Even if she was killed in the process, he was going to be alright.

It was unfair for Naruto to lose another teacher. She didn't matter much. Kakashi was, after all, more valuable than her.

Her mind reeled from one spot to another—the puncture in the lung was restored but needed another dose of chakra to actually get rid of the soreness, the gash in his stomach needed the infection-treating technique, his Sharingan eye was bleeding, most probably rendering his nerve endings on fire because of the pain—but she never stopped her chakra output. Naruto and Sai had finished their tasks and were standing at her side, lending their mute support, lending her their strength.

She wasn't going to disappoint.

Her hands flared once more, green energy brilliant in the beginning of the sunset, her moist cheeks pale and cold, eyes wild with worry and distress, but she never strayed from her calling. She _had_ to save him.

If Naruto had been paying attention, he would have noticed that she was actually pouring her life energy into Kakashi. He was much too wounded, much too exhausted to get his organs working on his own. But his heart picked up speed, his eyes fluttering, reacting to her healing energy, to her presence, to life.

He was still here, and even if he wasn't with her, she was going to do anything to keep him in this world.

She didn't listen to Yamato when he ordered the other two shinobi to pursue and terminate the Iwa ninja that had bested Kakashi in the ambush. She didn't pay attention when he summoned a wood clone to keep an eye on her while he joined Sai and Naruto and bounded away. She just had eyes and mind for the silver-haired ninja that lay on the ground, watching how his breathing deepened thanks to the reparation of his lungs, watching how his Sharingan eye stopped bleeding and his brow relaxed thanks to the energy that soothed his nerve endings, watching how the gash on his stomach reduced itself and disappeared under her careful ministrations.

She didn't notice how his eyes finally opened, taking in the panic and worry that darkened her eyes, the glistening tracks her tears had drawn on her face, the paleness of her skin. His keen nose picked up her fear, her adrenaline, and how her own body was starting to protest her efforts.

But she did notice how his hand moved, covering hers in a silent attempt to stop her.

"No," she breathed, "I have to heal you, you're still–"

"Alive," he rasped softly. "Thanks to you."

"But–" she protested immediately, not wanting to stop the healing. Something could be wrong; she needed to monitor her energy while it was restoring the cells and mending the wounds.

"No, Sakura," he whispered, breathing deeply and managing to sit up despite her squeak of outrage and dismay. "I don't want to lose you."

She scrambled for her water canteen, forcing him to drink slowly to re-hydrate his body. "What are you talking about?" she continued her rant, now beginning to feel angry because of his standoffish demeanor. "You need to rest! I just healed one of your lungs, and your innards were almost spilled from your abdomen because of that gash–"

"Sakura," he cut her off once more, sending her a pointed look. "I know your chakra. That wasn't your chakra."

She stiffened in surprise, looking around to locate Yamato's clone kneeling next to one of their fallen, masked comrades. Then, she looked back to his mismatched eyes in mild dread.

Of course he had known she was being reckless, injecting him with her life energy just like Chiyo did Gaara. But how did he find out? Unless he had been conscious—even if just barely so—when they arrived at the site and she flew to him...

Kakashi's mask was torn, ragged, but still kept its place on his face. She knew his expressions, though, and the fabric didn't hide the mild frown he threw at her.

"Kakashi–"

"Listen to me," he interrupted her softly once more, much to Inner Sakura's displeasure, "I'm not going to leave you. Not like this. Not without saying goodbye."

She scowled, confused. Then, she remembered the argument, back home. She was instantly ashamed of herself, of her insecurities. She lowered her head, fighting back a sob. She felt so drained, so exhausted emotionally that it wouldn't take much longer for her to break down.

And then, a calloused, gloved hand threaded its fingers into her hair, coaxing her gently to look up at him.

"Sakura," he whispered, eyes intent and sincere, not paying attention to the trio that had just come back from their payback journey and was making their way to them. "I'm not bored of you, I'm not mad at you, and I am certainly not going to abandon you."

"...Really?" she asked, calling on her dwindled supply of chakra and scanning his body once more. He let her do so, nodding softly.

"How can someone abandon their heart? It's impossible," he said softly, not minding Naruto's gasp and Sai's confused expression and Tenzou's lifted brow.

Then, looking at each other, lost in the aftermath of a battle that almost broke them apart, she realized that he was always going to try hard to come back to her.

And from that moment on, she would just have to believe in his return.

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_- Tenna' ento lye omenta -_

-XxX-

**AN:** Yeah, I think my muse ran away from me during this. I wanted to portray Sakura's thoughts while healing Kakashi. She might have felt off, but since she has a split personality and also has a gift for healing, I think it's not so far off the mark to be concentrated in her task while fretting and losing her sanity somewhat in the back of her mind. It's called multitasking, yanno.

Regarding Kakashi, damn, he's a quite hard character to write. I'll have to write him more often if I want to understand him better.

_Shikashi_, I'd like to thank you guys for reading – if you did – and I'd like to ask you to go to Cyn's DA and look at the piece that inspired this story. It's also posted in my profile, if you want to shower here with some love. In fact, I think you should. 8D

Also, many thanks to my dear beta MelissaRose85, because without her awesome help I'd be lost.

Cheers!


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